What is Microbetting? Pros and Cons of Microbetting on Sports

Live betting has been getting a lot of attention recently, with different sportsbooks coming up with more and more innovative ways of making it appear to the player. One example is microbetting, where players can bet on either smaller parts of the game for higher stakes or make bets just before something important happens in the game. It is estimated that over half of all bets placed in the US nowadays are micro bets, but that number is expected to keep growing significantly.

This article will go over everything related to what microbetting is, sports that are best for microbetting, which sportsbooks provide it, the main pros and cons, as well as the risks it can have.

What is Microbetting on sports?

Micro betting is one of the newer forms of gambling in which people place bets on certain events during a match or game that are not related to the game’s final result. As the word “micro” hints, the bets here are placed on small moments that take place throughout the game, such as the number of goals scored in a set timeframe, the number of home runs hit, or the number of penalty kicks issued. Players can find out whether they’ve won or lost much faster with rapid results, which is what has made microbetting so appealing in recent years.

Though the term has been around for a while now, it got a new resurgence of popularity back in 2022, when famous internet star and athlete Jake Paul teamed up with gambling industry veteran Joey Levy to found Betr, a bookmaker that specializes in micro betting and has its real-money offerings available in Massachusetts and Ohio. With more and more of the sports betting world going online, there is an ever-increasing amount of innovative wagering operators, like Betr, entering the market.

Which sportsbooks offer Micro Betting?

With the huge demand for micro sports betting, several sportsbooks have jumped on board to provide their players with an unmatched experience. We’ve compiled a short list of some of the most popular iGaming operators that offer micro betting in 2024:

Each of the aforementioned operators offers a wide selection of betting opportunities, with most of them having a mobile app available to make the betting process a lot smoother and accessible to a wider range of players. Most of them operate in a variety of jurisdictions, although all of them are available in the United States, where micro wagering is quickly becoming the most popular form of betting. They also feature extensive collections of sports to bet on, but which of them is best suited for micro betting? Let’s find out!

Which sports are best for Microbetting?

While micro betting provides a high standard of entertainment in the vast majority of all sports, the pace of the events in a given match, along with the availability of microbetting opportunities, are a vital part of what enables micro-wagering to achieve unbeatable bettor engagement rates. Let’s take a look at a few microbetting sports that maximize the entertainment and satisfaction rates of betting enthusiasts, starting with one of the industry’s most popular ones, football.

Football

Football is one of the most popular sports in micro sports betting, with almost all bookmakers offering micro betting on it. Football’s pace of events leaves enough time for a player to analyze their options and act on them, while also being quick enough to retain players for the entirety of the match. Additionally, football also has a lot of opportunities that can appear during a game for players to wager on, such as the next player or team to score a goal, the next team or player to earn a penalty kick and many others.

Basketball

Basketball is another great sport for Micro Betting enthusiasts, as its fast-paced action can present perfect micro-wagering opportunities. Players will be able to bet on a number of engaging wagering options, such as who will score the next goal and what type of shot it will be. However, its strength is also its weakness, as bookmakers will need to ensure the capabilities of their broadcast equipment to keep up with the action.

Hockey

Hockey is very similar to Basketball, although it’s a little slower-paced in comparison. This can be quite advantageous to newer Micro Sports Wagering enthusiasts, allowing them just enough time to make educated bets. Micro Betting opportunities in hockey are quite similar to that of football, as players can wager on how many goals will be scored and who will score them, among many others.

Golf

Golf is one of the slower sports for Micro Betting, however, it still offers plenty of unique opportunities for bettors. For players that prefer having more time to decide on their wagers, Golf could be quite a good option. Bettors can place micro wagers on how many swings each player will take to get the ball in a hole, how many pars and birdies they will get, and if there will be a hole-in-one during the game.

Tennis

Tennis is another great option for micro betting, as its quick pace is perfect for the pastime. The sport also offers lots of micro wagering opportunities, making it a great addition to a sportsbook. Players can bet on everything from how many times each player will hit the ball, to how many times it will go off-court, among many other events. However, its relatively longer matches may dissuade some bettors.

Motorsports

Motorsports of various forms can be excellent microbetting sports, as they can offer a plethora of micro wagering opportunities for bettors along with an excellent pace perfectly suited for the pastime. Players can bet on everything from which teams and which athletes will be on the podium, to which drivers will be fastest around a particular sector of the track, which ones will pit first, and many others. They are also great microbetting sports because of the diversity they offer, as motorsports events can last from a few minutes to 24 hours.

The pros and cons of Microbetting

Now that we’ve covered the fundamentals, let’s take a look at the main benefits and drawbacks of microbetting and understand what exactly has attracted so many players to it.

Pros:

• Flexibility – The biggest upside of micro betting is obviously its main feature, flexibility. As micro wagering allows players to bet during a game on a number of different opportunities, it will present them with far more options. Additionally, each opportunity will be different than the one before, making sure that players can always wager on their favorite type of event. As a result, micro sports betting provides far more excitement than any other type of wagering. Consequently, micro betting is also way more fruitful for operators, too.
• Speed and lack of stress – Microbetting is quick. After placing a wager, the result doesn’t take much time to arrive. Some might call that a disadvantage, but traditional betting can, in some cases, be more stressful than thrilling. Micro wagering strikes a balance between the lack of excitement and stress, as a player can divide their playing budget and bet on smaller scales. Betting more but in smaller amounts eliminates any fear of losing everything at the end. Consequently, micro wagering may end up being more lucrative on average for a user if they don’t change their budget.
• Higher entertainment value – Due to its fast-paced nature, micro betting will almost always be more entertaining and more thrilling for the players, delivering a memorable and engaging experience each time, which will also have the side effect of enhancing user retention and churn rates for the operator. In turn, these higher player retention rates will increase the operator’s yield, however, due to the pastime’s demanding nature, wagering businesses are going to need that higher income to facilitate it to its fullest extent. Let’s explore some of the challenges of micro wagering up next.

Cons:

Micro sports betting can bring a lot of advantages to the table for the player, which indicates more work to be done by the sportsbook operator to satisfy its customers. Here are some of the challenges you may face as an operator when dealing with micro bets:

• Streaming – Having access to a high-quality stream of the event being bet on is quite integral to the player experience in micro wagering. While other sports betting methods work perfectly without having a built-in display of the sports event being bet on and micro betting can be done without it as well, having an integrated stream of the aforementioned event will deliver the best results. The main reason for this is to synchronize wagering options with their corresponding events, as any delays or significant latency can degrade micro wagering’s fast-paced experience. Speaking of which, latency is our next discussion point.
• Latency – Microbetting relies on high-quality, low-latency data streaming. Events for betting can pass quickly, so the live stream must be nearly real-time to keep players informed. Placing bets must also be swift to avoid missing opportunities, requiring both the operator and the user to have stable, low-latency connections, which can be challenging in some regions. Latency is crucial because betting options must close immediately after outcomes are revealed. If operators can’t close bets in time, players might exploit this delay to guarantee wins.
• Delivery of betting options –Most wagering companies use betting data providers, but there are fewer providers in the microbetting niche, and their services are more expensive. Consequently, many microbetting operators develop in-house solutions using machine learning and AI to identify and deliver betting options quickly during a game. These algorithms require significant power to operate swiftly, especially since some betting opportunities only last a few minutes. It’s crucial to present these options to players quickly, giving them enough time to consider and place their bets. If players don’t have enough time, they might skip the opportunity altogether.
• Scale –Micro sports betting demands significant computational power and internet bandwidth, making it more challenging to scale than regular sports betting. When new betting opportunities arise, many players will place bets simultaneously, generating a large volume of data quickly. This can strain the operator’s network infrastructure, leading to slowdowns or crashes.
• International betting – While microbetting offers numerous benefits for bettors, to take advantage of the opportunities it presents, users will need to be able to view the sports matches they want to bet on in real time. While this isn’t a frequent problem micro betting operators face, international ones may see lower participation rates compared to traditional bets for some championships that are popular all around the world. Gambling firms focusing on a specific country or region may also not be able to offer micro wagering on some sports championships if matches are held at less than ideal times of the day locally, such as at night.
• Integrity – Microbetting can involve significantly more transactions than other sports betting methods, which can challenge fraud detection systems. The high volume of bets during an event requires these systems to work harder, making it easier for malicious actors to exploit the increased processing load. However, these issues are solvable with sufficient resources and server capacity. Larger, established operators will face fewer challenges implementing microbetting solutions compared to newcomers. Microbetting requires a higher upfront investment and higher ongoing costs to operate effectively.

FAQ

What are the player risks caused by microbetting?

Due to its very fast-paced nature, the players will experience their feelings of victory and defeat instantly. If a user gets emotionally overwhelmed easily, micro sports betting may not be suitable for them. All those emotions being instantly experienced back to back may take a toll on some players, leading them to act erratically, damaging themselves financially and emotionally. Getting a gambling addiction would also be way easier with microbetting, as the instant action can make it seem like a jackpot or a big win is only a few more wagers away.

What do iGaming operators need to consider before implementing microbetting opportunities?

Implementing microbetting opportunities should be as simple as the integration of any other type of online gambling experience, with one of the key differences being that it will likely involve higher setup and ongoing maintenance costs if an operator is utilizing the services of an established micro wagering provider. However, the betting method’s higher potential for revenue generation and enhanced player engagement rates can offset these and allow gambling businesses to generate more revenue with microbetting.

What is the difference between microbetting and live betting?

Microbetting and live betting both allow wagers during a game, unlike traditional betting which only permits bets before the match starts. However, live betting typically happens within specific time frames, such as between halves or quarters, and focuses on the game’s outcome.

Microbetting is more flexible, allowing bets at any point during the game on a wide range of events, such as the next player to score or the method of the next goal. This broader scope and continuous betting options make microbetting a more thrilling experience.

How microbetting differs from props?

Micro betting and prop bets both occur during the game, but they differ in focus and timing. Traditional prop bets are categorized into player, game, and team props, often requiring a game, half, or quarter to complete for settlement. Micro betting, however, zeroes in on specific in-game events, like a single pitch in baseball or the next basket in an NBA game. This means micro bets conclude quickly, often within moments, offering faster results compared to regular prop bets.

Conclusion

To sum it up, microbetting is a tried and true method of wagering that is still novel in growing markets. It is expected to surpass any other form in the near future and attain a very high market share in jurisdictions where sports wagering is still expanding. But should you give it a go? Whether you’re a player or a gambling operator, you should try it out remembering all the risks. As mentioned, micro betting has the opportunity to provide a new form of entertainment at a new pace that you or your customers have never experienced before. There’s a big enough potential that if you have the resources to implement it into your business, you should at least do a trial run. Otherwise, just enjoy the fast-paced action responsibly!

Follow our Telegram channel